The Norton Energy Community
 

 

Friends of the Earth have helped with some background information on the role that wind energy can play in meeting our needs. It gives a good summary of the need to move away from non-reliable and carbon-based energy sources to more secure and environmentally-friendly ones.

In the UK around a third of our emissions of CO2 come from power stations which are producing electricity.

Other emissions from these stations pollute the air we breathe and contributes to acid rain which threatens wildlife. Our demand for energy is higher than ever. Even if we make massive improvements in energy efficiency, it’s vital that we find cheap and clean ways of generating electricity to replace the polluting forms of energy we currently use.

Electricity generation from the wind is the best developed of the newer renewable energy technologies and it is available now. Wind power relies on relatively simple mechanical processes, once built the running costs are very low, and it has benefited from recent technological advances in the aeronautics industry. The fuel is free and inexhaustible and there are no waste products. This means it can compete with the cost of energy based on conventional fossil fuels.  As oil and gas prices continue to rise, wind power can only become more competitive.

The UK has the greatest potential for wind power in Europe, but we have been slow to exploit it. Germany and Denmark lead the way. Wind energy could be providing 30 per cent of our electricity needs by 2020. As the UK is now a net importer of oil and gas, wind offers additional benefits in terms of secure energy supplies. 

As well as the urgent environmental need for clean energy, wind power has many social and economic benefits. Wind power creates new jobs, often in rural areas where unemployment can be high. Carbon Dioxide is the most important of the greenhouse gases which are changing our climate. In the UK, we currently emit around 600million tonnes of CO every year. If we are to avoid dangerous levels of climate change, we must cut our CO emissions by 80-90 per cent by 2050. 

Wind power is a clean, renewable form of energy, which during operation produces no carbon dioxide. It also emits no sulphur dioxide, the cause of acid rain. While some emissions of these gasses will take place during the design, manufacture, transport and erection of wind turbines, enough energy is generated from a wind farm within a few months to compensate for these emissions. When wind farms are dismantled (usually after 20-25 years of operation) they leave no legacy of pollution for future generations. 

While individual turbines will not contribute much on a national scale, collectively they can make a huge difference. The UK Government calculates that onshore wind could theoretically meet 80 per cent of our electricity demand, and the offshore resource could supply 10 times this amount. More conservative estimates, taking into account factors such as land availability, suggests a practicable figure of 40 per cent of current electricity generation from on- and offshore wind.

Is wind power expensive and heavily subsidised?

No. The cost of generating electricity from the wind has fallen dramatically over the past few years. Wind power can now produce electricity at a cheaper price than nuclear power in the UK. Energy from the wind will become even cheaper in the future as greater experience is gained manufacturing and developing this relatively new technology.

When the full costs of the environmental damage caused by fossil fuels and nuclear power are taken into account, wind power is an even better buy. For example, it has been estimated that if the cost of environmental damage were included, the price of electricity from coal would be three times higher than electricity from the wind. The full costs of nuclear power, including dealing with highly-radioactive waste and decommissioning of old plants, are still not included in the price of electricity after decades of operating stations in the UK, and the nuclear industry is still dependent on massive Government subsidy.

The cost to the customer of supporting the initial development of wind power in the UK has been very small. The Non-Fossil Fuel Levy, set up at the time of electricity privatisation, supported all non fossil fuel sources of electricity: nuclear power and renewable energy. However, almost 90 per cent of that subsidy went to the nuclear industry. The government has replaced this arrangement with the renewables obligation, which requires electricity suppliers to provide up to 20 per cent of their electricity from a variety of renewable sources by 2020. Latest estimates indicate that this obligation will result in a small increase in domestic customer prices of up to 4.5 per cent by 2010.

Is electricity from the wind reliable?

It is true wind turbines only operate when the wind blows. However, the UK is the windiest country in Europe so we have a large resource waiting to be used. Less windy countries such as Germany are already meeting 7 per cent of their electricity needs from wind.

There is a lot of confusion about the reliability of different sources of electricity. No power stations are able to operate all the time without stopping. Many so-called reliable sources such as nuclear power plants must be shut down, often at short notice, for essential safety maintenance. By comparison the variation in output from wind farms distributed around the country is scarcely noticeable. Wind speeds can be reliably predicted too, which allows another generation to be brought on line. 

At present the National Grid can be operated effectively and economically, with up to 20 per cent of the electricity capacity being provided by variable energy sources such as wind. At the levels being considered over the next few decades for wind energy production, such variability can easily be accommodated by the grid system. It is true that we can never rely on wind turbines alone to provide us with all our electricity needs. However, there are storage technologies we can use, such as pumped storage hydropower schemes, and other innovative solutions such as dynamic demand. 

With a more flexible generation system wind farms can replace a large portion of our existing nuclear and fossil-fired electricity generation without reducing the overall reliability of our electricity supplies.

If we save more energy we wouldn’t need wind power would we?

However much we improve the way we use energy, we are always going to have to generate electricity, and it is vital that we make more use of energy sources that are safe, clean, secure and renewable. Future predictions for transport indicate that we will become even more reliant on electricity, ether as a direct source of power or as a means of producing hydrogen for fuel cells. Both energy efficiency and wind power have important roles to play in a sustainable energy policy of the future and have massive potential to help solve serious local nation and international environmental problems.

Why not site wind turbines off-shore?

The UK now has six operating off shore wind farms another 25 projects are currently being considered for locations around the British coast. A plan to build the worlds largest offshore wind farm, known as the London array, which will see 271 turbines off the Kent/Essex coast, could provide enough electricity to power 750,000 homes (equivalent to nearly one percent of UK energy demand) and is due to open as early as 2012, while the government's stated is ambition to build up to 33GW by 2020, enough to meet a quarter of UK demand.

However, the urgent need to respond to climate change means that we will nee to use as many renewable sources as quickly as possible, including both onshore and offshore wind. At present onshore wind is one of the most economically competitive of the renewable technologies. Due to the technical hurdles of offshore construction and connection to the national grid, the cost of delivered energy from initial wind farms is estimated to be around 50 % higher than that from equivalent land based turbines. There are also a number of other constraints on the development of offshore wind resources, including unlimited suitable locations, new consents procedures and objections from the ministry of defence, which are slowing progress at some of these sites.

The offshore wind resource is huge, the government estimates that it could theoretically supply current electricity demand 10 times over, and will play an important role. However, onshore wind id currently the key technology if the UK renewable energy Markey is to be successful, and if the Government’s target of 10 per cent of electricity generation from renewable sources by 2010 is to be met.

Does the wind industry create jobs?

The British Wind Farm Association (BWEA) has calculated that if 10 per cent of UK electricity were produced from wind energy, more than 6,500 permanent jobs could be created in the manufacture of equipment, construction and day-to-day maintenance. Some of these jobs would be in rural areas where other employment opportunities are very limited. There are four manufacturing facilities assembling wind turbines or producing major components, and many others supplying materials and parts. The UK Government has signalled its support for the development of the wind turbine manufacturing industry, which will result in even more jobs. In addition, wind farms are often tourist attractions. In Germany there is a flourishing renewables industry employing more than 250,000 people.

Wind farm developments can provide an important source of income for local people, helping to regenerate areas and enabling farmers to diversify, aiding rural economies.

Aren’t wind turbines unpopular?

Many opinion polls show that the majority of people are in favour of wind power. A before and after study by the then DTI (now BERR) at the UK’s first wind farm at Delabole in Cornwall showed that 80 per cent of those asked felt that it made no difference to their daily life. Six months after construction, 84 per cent of those living nearby were found to either approve or stronger approve of wind power. A recent survey for the Countryside Council for Wales showed that between 74 and 83 per cent of people living near three Welsh Wind farms found them acceptable developments, and 70 per cent said that they would be happy to have more in the area. The Scottish Executive conducted a survey of residents near four wind farms, and 74 per cent said there was nothing they dislike about the farms while 67 per cent liked something about the farms.

Some residents may be apprehensive about any proposed local developments. When accurate information and knowledge is made available, experience shows that initial concerns are reduced and support for wind farm schemes increases. In the Scottish Executive survey, 40 per cent of respondents anticipated problems prior to the development, but only 9 per cent of respondents reported experiencing any problems one it was built. Independent surveys typically show that 90 per cent of people either support wind energy developments once they are in place, or are not concerned by them.

Do wind turbines spoil the landscape?

Friend of the Earth believes the visual appearance of the wind farms cannot be ignored. The number of turbines, their layout in the landscape and whether there are other wind farms nearby (producing cumulative visual effect) should all be considered. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) or National Parks are unlikely to be appropriate for large wind farms.

This is a highly subjective issue. Being visible is not necessarily the same as being intrusive. While some people express concern about the effects wind turbines have on the beauty of our landscape, others see them as symbols of a better, less polluted future.

The landscape we inhabit is largely man-made and it evolves over time. In comparison to developments like quarries, power stations or open cast mining, wind farms have the advantage that they can be easily removed from the landscape at the end of their lives. I we don’t switch to clean forms of energy, climate change will severely and permanently alter much of our landscape and the animal and plant life it contains.

We believe that each project should be considered on an individual basis by the relevant planning authority and judged against planning policies that promote both renewable energy and landscape value. Local authorities should asses the potential for renewable energy in their areas and help identify sites that are appropriate for development. All significant impacts should be considered within a project environmental assessment.

By consulting local people, avoiding the most sensitive areas, and careful siting, wind power companies can do much to ensure that turbines can be successfully integrated into our landscape.

Are wind turbines noisy?

Thanks to advances in wind turbine technology, well-designed, well-sited turbines can be quiet enough to cause no disturbance to people living just a few hundred meters away. AT these distances, any noise they do make is usually drowned out by the natural noise of the wind itself in trees and vegetation. To protect nearby residents from any undue disturbance, proposals to install wind turbines are required to meet strict noise standards.

Having read exaggerated claims in the press, people visiting wind farms are often surprised at how quiet they actually are. The Scottish Executive public opinion survey is one of several demonstrating concerns about noise are often unfounded. Before construction of the Scottish Wind Farms, 12 per cent of people living near the sites thought the turbines would cause a noise nuisance, but after construction, when people had experience of the wind farm operating, only 1 per cent thought they were noisy.

Do wind farms kill birds or harm wildlife?

Siting is a crucial issue. We contact specialists such as the RSPB and conduct a thorough analysis of the risk to birdlife as part of the environmental assessment of wind farm proposals. The RSPB supports wind power, and has said that from its own studies at three wind farms in Wales, “the scale of bird strike does not seem to be of serious concern”, and that wind turbines will have little effect on birds outside their main migrations routes.

Years of experience in other countries have highlighted a few specific problems where wind farms have been sited too close to high concentrations of migrant birds either feeding or roosting. When properly sited, wind turbines present no more danger than other structures such as pylons or roads. Similarly, there is no evidence to suggest damage to other wildlife, or to agricultural livestock which often grazes right up to the bases of the turbine towers.

What is community ownership?

Community ownership is one way in which we can maximise the local benefits of renewable energy projects. By buying shares in part or all of a project local people directly benefit from the revenues raised. Community owned wind farms are much more common in countries such as Germany and Denmark, and have contributed to a greater public acceptance of wind farms in parts of Europe. Well-Known community projects in the UK include Westmill wind farm in Oxfordshire, which has five 81 meter high turbines and was the brainchild of organic farmer Adam Twine. Westmill is 100 per cent community owned, began generating in March 2008, and is set to power the equivalent of 2,500 homes

Why is there so much opposition to wind farms?

Wind developments have their critics, and some of there concerns over earlier schemes were well founded. However, many of the criticisms were well founded. However, many of the criticisms made about wind energy today are exaggerated or untrue, and reflects attempts by particular groups to discredit the technology, worry local communities, where sensible discussion of the issues is forgotten.

Country Guardian, the national campaign to oppose wind turbines is one of the most outspoken of anti-wind groups. As part of its argument against the need for wind power, the group questions whether action is needed to stop climate change.